Read Online The Witch's Halloween Hero (Nocturne Falls) by Kristen Painter - Free Book Online Page B

as she left. “It’s going to be all right, I swear.”
“I know.” He hoped that was true. He glance at Corette, who was watching him intently. “You look beautiful, by the way. But then you always look beautiful.”
Her smile went from bright to beaming. “Aren’t you a charmer?”
“Mom.” Pandora sighed in frustration. “You really can’t remember Stanhill?”
Corette shook her head, but her eyes stayed on him. “No. I guess your magic really is fully functional again, sweetheart.” She stepped closer to Stanhill. “Do you still want to take me to the ball?”
“I do.” Whether or not Corette remembered him, he couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. Nor did he want to. He lifted the corsage he’d brought her out of the shopping bag. “Here’s your bit of orange.”
She took the clear plastic case, popped it open, and lifted the flower free. “I know you’re supposed to do the honors, but considering I don’t know you from Adam at the moment, how about we let Pandora do it?”
He nodded. “Whatever makes you happy.”
While Pandora fixed the corsage to her mother’s dress, Stanhill took a moment to gather a little more information. “How long will the spell last?”
Pandora’s brows knit. “Why don’t we talk about that once I have this corsage attached, okay?” She laughed nervously. “You know I can’t talk and chew gum.”
That wasn’t the Pandora he knew at all. She must have something to tell him that she didn’t want to reveal in front of her mother.
Pandora steadied the flower in place while she attached the superstrong magnets that would hold it there without damaging the gown. “There you go, Mom. Oh, it’s so pretty. Go show Charisma and have her take a picture so Mari can see it when she gets back.”
Corette made a face. “Honey, she’s going to the ball. She’ll see it there.”
“With all the work she’s got to do, she might not. And since it came from her shop…”
Corette kissed her daughter’s cheek. “I’ll be right back.” She glanced at Stanhill on her way out. “Maybe I’ll remember you by then.”
He put a hand to his heart. “I can hope.”
“She won’t,” Pandora said when Corette had left. “The spell wasn’t built that way.” She let out a deep sigh. “This is awful. And on Samhain of all nights.”
“What aren’t you telling me? Is there more to this than your mother understands?”
“No, she knows all this, but I feel like talking about it in front of her is going to reinforce the negatives, and I’d rather not do that.” Pandora frowned. “What I haven’t told you yet is that the spell becomes permanent at midnight. And…there’s no fail-safe built in. Missy didn’t want one—she wanted a complete and total wipe. We thought that was kind of severe, but we do what our clients want.”
“Okay, but it’s not permanent yet. That means you can still undo it.”
Pandora shook her head. “We can’t. It’s done.”
“You just said it becomes permanent at midnight. That means it’s not permanent now. Why can’t you fix it?”
“Because it’s already in motion.” Pandora frowned. “And the midnight thing is because it’s Samhain. Halloween.” She waved her hands in the air. “On this night, at the witching hour, a lot of magic things can occur. Certain spells becoming permanent is just one of them.”
“What does that mean then? She’ll never be able to love me again?”
“Not just that, but at midnight, if we don’t find a counterspell, you will disappear from her life completely.”
“You can’t just make me go away.”
“In a way we can. She won’t see you or hear you or have any idea you’re around. You could be in the same room with her and she’d have no idea.”
“Are you bleedin’ kidding me?”
“No. It’s what Missy wanted.”
“Do you always give people what they want?”
“Like I said, when they’re paying for a spell, we try, yes.”
Stanhill mumbled a few curses.
“Look, we’re going to do